Croatian Museum of Contemporary Art

The Croatian Museum of Contemporary Art is Zagreb's leading institution for contemporary visual art, built around Croatian and international work created after 1950.

Where did the museum come from?

Its roots go back to 1954, when the City Gallery of Contemporary Art was founded in Zagreb and housed in the baroque Kulmer Palace in the Upper Town. For decades the gallery kept building its holdings, but cramped quarters meant it could never mount a proper permanent display — the same building also had to accommodate a Center for Photography, Film and Television and a museum library. By the late 1990s, city authorities decided the collection deserved a real home, and in 1998 they launched an international architectural competition for a purpose-built museum.

How did the current building come about?

Out of 85 submitted designs, the jury chose the proposal from Croatian architect Igor Franić. The new building rose on the corner of Dubrovnik Avenue and Većeslav Holjevac Avenue in Novi Zagreb, on the opposite bank of the Sava River from the historic centre. The museum moved in and opened to the public in December 2009. The building covers 14,600 m² in total, with 3,500 m² dedicated to the permanent collection and roughly 1,500 m² set aside for temporary shows. It also houses a library, a multimedia hall, a bookshop, a café and a restaurant.

What will you actually see inside?

The museum's holdings run to about 12,000 objects, of which some 600 are on permanent display at any one time. The core of the collection is Croatian art from the postwar period onward, supplemented by international artists — paintings, sculpture, installations, photography and video art all feature. The building's large, open galleries were designed to accommodate oversized works and spatial installations that a traditional townhouse-style gallery simply couldn't handle. Alongside the permanent collection, the museum runs a busy programme of temporary exhibitions covering both established names and emerging artists.

How do you get there?

The museum sits in Novi Zagreb, on the south bank of the Sava, so reaching it from the historic centre means crossing the river. The easiest option is the tram — several lines terminate close to the building, leaving only a short walk from the stop to the entrance. Visitors arriving by car will find parking on site. Plan on spending two to three hours there, since the exhibition space is large and the temporary programme changes often enough to be worth a proper look.

When's the best time to visit?

The museum operates year-round, so timing mostly comes down to your own Zagreb itinerary. Weekdays tend to be quieter than weekends, when families and organised groups are more common. It's worth checking the current temporary exhibition schedule before you go — a high-profile touring show can draw crowds and eat into the time you'd otherwise spend with the permanent collection.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth the trip to Novi Zagreb just for this museum? Yes — it's one of the city's standout cultural institutions, and the building itself, designed by Igor Franić, is worth seeing on its own merits.

How long should I budget for a visit? Realistically two to three hours if you want to see both the permanent collection and whatever temporary exhibitions are currently running.

Is there somewhere to eat on site? Yes, there's a café and a restaurant in the building, so you can easily turn a visit into a half-day outing without leaving.

Does the collection only cover Croatian art? No — Croatian artists form the backbone of the collection, but it also includes international artists working after 1950.